


Bad Day

by Lyra_Dhani



Series: The Kids [3]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Dissociation, Gen, References to Depression, Triggers, depressing stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:41:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27034360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyra_Dhani/pseuds/Lyra_Dhani
Summary: Raph crossed the room, about to open the fridge, take something edible out, and just left him be in his silence. He was halfway out when he noticed the magazine spread open in the chair.Oh, shell no. It was one of those days.“Leo?” He called out to his brother.Leo didn’t answer.
Relationships: Leonardo & Raphael (TMNT)
Series: The Kids [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1740874
Comments: 10
Kudos: 72





	Bad Day

When Raph entered room the, Leo was drinking something by the kitchen table. It was probably green tea, judging by the bittersweet smell filling the air. There was nothing strange about it. Leo didn’t give out any indication he was noticing his presence.

Raph crossed the room, about to open the fridge, take something edible out, and just left him be in his silence. He was halfway out when he noticed the magazine spread open in the chair.

Oh, _shell no_. It was one of those days.

“Leo?” He called out to his brother.

Leo didn’t answer.

 _Sweet shell_. He immediately jumped to his side, shaking his shoulder gently. “Leo, look at me.”

Leo’s eyes were directed at him but Raph could see that his older brother wasn’t looking at him at all. This wasn’t just Leo’s bad days. This was one of Leo’s worst days. Leo’s blue eyes were glazed over, a distant look in his face that Raph knew too well. He bit back a sob.

“Leo, it’s me,” He brought up Leo’s hand to his face. “Please.”

Raph hated this. It had become his bad day just as much as it was Leo’s. He was tempted to explode into unstoppable rage just as much the early days, back when they still tried to find their place in a world without Splinter. Back then, Raph had wore his wrath as an armor, he spit curses on Leo and lashed out at everyone else and he left the house until Donnie had fixed Leo back to normal.

Leo didn’t budge. He looked pale and with the clouds hanging over his eyes, Raph felt like he was looking at a living corpse.

He swallowed. Donnie and Mikey were better at this. Years of experience didn’t diminish the uncomfortable feeling bubbling up his chest, the drowning emotion that threaten to crack his heart open.

Because Leo was supposed to be _perfect_. He was their leader, their mother, their pillar of support. Without him, their family was crumbling.

Raph still remembered back when Leo first got _lost_ , Donnie didn’t sleep and Mikey didn’t laugh and Raph kept quiet. The fear was choking him, burying him alive would have been kinder.

“Leo,” Raph said slowly. “Do you remember? Back when we were children, you didn’t know how to climb tree. I had to chase you around for you to finally able to climb the tree on the dojo,” he paused. “I was still the strongest. And you couldn’t beat me. I kept beating your ass and you started to run and I chase you and-”

He had to stop. If he continued, he’d cry.

Raph couldn’t say he was the strongest anymore. Leo was, with his skills and leadership and strategy planning. He was the best of all them and now, Raph couldn’t envy him for it.

His rivalry days were long over. Leo was still the strongest of them all, but Raph could see the scars that he had been blind to before. In Leo, all he saw was broken pieces patched up badly together.

He put his hands around Leo’s shoulder and guided him to the couch. Leo didn’t say anything.

They both sit there. Raph played Leo’s favorite show on TV and brought in popcorn and insulted everything about the show, the notoriously heroic perfect Captain, and the trashy plot where the Captain once again saved the day.

Leo remained completely still.

Sometimes later, Raph couldn’t precisely judged how long, it had felt forever to him, Leo had finally woken up from his deep slumbering.

Leo blinked, moving his head slowly with unfocused eyes. “Raph?”

“Leo,” Raph said. He refused to break down. “Welcome to the land of living.”

“Yeah,” Leo said. A beat later, “Sorry. I was just cleaning up the storage room and-”

He broke off. Raph nodded in understanding. So that was where he found the magazine. He made a mental note to burn the thing when he had the chance. It was just a nonsense magazine spinning conspiracy theories about alien and mutant experiment and Mikey was fond of it, making fun of the theories the in magazine. Raph understood the attachment, but if the magazine being one of the triggers that kept Leo spiralling out of reality, they had no choice but to throw it away.

He gestured at Leo to sit beside him. The oldest snuggled againts him and pulled his blanket closer. ‘”Raph?”

“Yeah?” he mumbled.

“What if-“

“No.”

He knew Leo enough to know his line of thinking. Leo dropped his gaze to the floor. “What if somewhere else, an alien invasion is happening, Raph?”

“What can we do about it?” he grumbles. “We’re just normal kids this time around.”

“But-“

“No, Leo,” he shook his head. “It’s not your responsibility anymore.”

Leo stayed quiet after that. Raph wished his words were enough to convince his brother but he knew that this wouldn’t be the last time they talked about this. He rubbed his face together, feeling tired and numb. This was really a bad day.

**Author's Note:**

> I am having a hard time right now (I mean, who doesn't right?) Until my miserable situation resolved itself, I don't think I can write or update anything.


End file.
